This Major Research Instrumentation award will enable the purchase of two computer numerical control machine tools specifically a vertical machining center and a turning center. The award will also enable the purchase of a cutting force dynamometer, vibration and acoustic emission sensors as well as laser and ballbar calibration systems. This equipment will be used to conduct research in measuring and modeling machine tool errors for error compensation and collect process data via multiple sensors to identify the correlation between cutting conditions, material properties and part quality for optimization of manufacturing processes.
This equipment will enable development of an intelligent manufacturing system, which will fully integrate quality assurance into precision machining processes and result in full manufacturing automation, yielding no defects coupled with a significant improvement in productivity, part quality and reduced manufacturing costs. The real-time process control will enable reduction in scrap, rework, lead-time, and conventional non value-added inspection activities, and thereby will increase competitiveness of part manufacturers. In addition, the equipment will provide opportunities for hands-on undergraduate research and education for the manufacturing specialist. Seven courses will be impacted by the equipment in the manufacturing curriculum and will benefit over four hundred students at Western Kentucky University during the award period. The precision machining laboratory to be developed under this grant will be used during technology competition for regional high school and middle school technology education students. The scope of the impact is broad in that the proposed research encompasses milling, turning, and drilling processes. The results will benefit not only machine tool industry but also automotive and aerospace industries and other discrete part manufacturers.
